Fluid-pressure-operated vise having displaceable cylinder and adjustable piston



y 3, 1954 E. DOEBELI 86 FLUID-PRESSURE-OPERATED VISE HAVING DISPLACEABLE CYLINDER AND ADJUSTABLE PISTON Filed Nov. 19,1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q j Q fig 5 g :11 k I l i :i r J m v s,

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[PHARDDOIS'BEL/ HTTORNEH July 13, I954 DOEBELI 2,683,386

FLUID-PRESSURE-OPERA VISE HAVING DISPLACEABLE Filed NOV. 19, 1952 CYLINDER AND ADJUSTABLE PISTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //V VE N TOR frfiarc/ Doebe/f fly a oza 0m /1 Home y Patented July 13, 1954 FLUID-PRESSURE-OPERATED VISE HAVING DISPLACEABLE CYLINDER AND ADJUST- ABLE PISTON Erhard Doebeli, Solothurn, Switzerland, assignor to Specken Aktiengesellschaft, Zurich, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Application November 19, 1952, Serial No. 321,332

Claims priority, application Switzerland June 21, 1952 6 Claims. (Cl. 81-17.2)

The invention relates to a vise with pneumatic or hydraulic operation of the movable jaw which is displaceable in a longitudinal guide.

Vises of this kind are already known. However, it has been found that such a vise is suitable only for the finishing or the assembling of work pieces or the like in mass production but is unsuitable in the case of manufacture of single articles, for which purpose an ordinary manually operated vise is required. A further disadvantage of the known vises is that they are, from the outset, constructed for operation by compressed air and that the reconstruction of the known manually operated vises into vises which render operation by compressed air possible is practically impossible.

The present invention has set itself the problem of providing a vise which obviates the aforesaid disadvantages. This problem is, according to the invention, solved by connecting the movable jaw with a casing which is intended for receiving and for discharging the pressure medium and which is displaceable, for the purpose of moving the jaw, by means of a piston that is mounted on a spindle, which, in turn, is in operative connection with a manually rotatable spindle sleeve that is provided for operating the jaw.

I A further feature of the vise according to the invention consists in arranging, on the casing, an adjustable and fixable member which is intended for co-operation with the spindle and for fixing the distance to be traversed by the jaw under the action of the pressure medium;

According to the invention, the casing is detachably connected with the jaw by means of a part of the casing which surrounds a part of the spindle, which part of the casing carries a guiding member which is intended for the straight guiding of the casing when it is being displaced by means of the piston or for the straightguiding of the spindle during the manual operation and which engages in tudinal groove in the spindle part.

In a preferred embodiment of the vise, the piston is acted upon by-a spring which is stressed during the displacement of the jaw to its operative position and which effects the return of the jaw to its inoperative position. However, the casing mayalso be provided at each end with an inlet and an outlet for the pressure medium for the purpose of selectively displacing the casing with the connected jaw to the clamping position or to the inoperative position of the latter. i

a longi-' or the like, and a stationary jaw 2.

The vise according to the invention is, owing to the ease with which it is operated by hand or by means of a pressure medium, suitable both for manufacturing or machining single articles and for carrying out series work, in the latter case the operation by pressure medium being extraordinarily rapidly effective, being adjustable to a high pressing pressure, and considerable saving of time on clamping and unclamping the Work pieces being rendered possible.

The vise may be constructed together with the pressure-medium operating device as a single unit. However, the pressure-medium opera-ting device may also be made as a separate unit which can, after a few alterations, be fitted to an existing manually operated vise.

An example of embodiment of the subject matter of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, of which Fig. 1 shows the vise partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section, the jaws being shown in the position in which the work piece is released.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the part which serves for displacing the movable jaw and which is shown with the jaw in the clamping position.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, showing a detail of the movable jaw and its guide means; and

Fig. 4 is a cross section along line IVIV of Fig. 3.

I The vise represented comprises a vise body I, with a device for clamping it to a bench 22 Horizontal support part lb of the vise body carries-slide guide 3, in which the movable jaw l is displaceably mounted by means of guide rib 4a. Wedge member 23 is interposedbetween bench 22 and support part lb so that the cylinder casing i3 may be above the plane-of the bench. In the body I and beneath the stationary jaw 2 there is mounted, rotatably but not axially displaceably, a spindle sleeve 5, one end of ,which,

carries a tommy-bar 6 whilst the other end, which has a smaller internal diameter, is provided with an internal screw-thread l. Screwed into the end of the sleeve 5 which has the.

internal screw-thread is a screw spindle 8 which is connected with a spindle it by means of a cross pin 8. The spindle it has a longitudinal groove ll extending over a part of its length and is mounted, so as to be longitudinally displaceable, in a bore in apart I? of a casing 13.. Part I2 .is provided with radial bore IZa-to facilitate the insertion of pin 9 to connect spindles 8 and Ill.

Fixed on the end of the spindle It that extends into the casing I3 is a piston It, acting upon which is a helical spring it which, at one end, rests on the lid I5 of the casing. Arranged on the lid I5 of the casing is a set screw it. which is accessible from the outside and can be fixed in position by means of a check nut I! and is arranged coaxially with the spindle I and at an adjustable distance from the end of the latter. In the casing I3, at the end opposite the lid I5, there are two bores I9 and 2B which are provided with screw-threads and both of which open into the space in the casing behind the piston Hl. One of these bores, for example the bore I9, communicates with a source of compressed air for introducing compressed air into the casing I3, a valve (not shown), which is adapted to be operated -by hand or foot, being connected in front of the casing. The second bore, namely the bore 29, communicates with, for example, an outlet valve (also not shown), which is adapted to be operated by hand or foot. The cylindrical part I2 of the casing has, on its end that has a reduced diameter, an external screw-thread which is screwed into an internal screw-thread in a bore in the rear end of the movable jaw 4. Instead of the screw connection, there may be another known detachable or fixed connection between these parts.

The operation of the apparatus described is as follows:

By rotating the sleeve 5 by means of the tornmy-bar 6, the screw spindle 8 is moved into the sleeve 5 or in the opposite direction according to the direction of rotation. Since the screw spindle 8 is connected with the spindle It by the pin 9, the spindle It follows the movement of the screw spindle 8, the piston I l carrying out, by means of the casing l3, a movement of the movable jaw 4 toward the stationary jaw 2 when the spindles 8 and I9 are displaced to the left in Fig. 1. On the other hand, if the spindles 8 and III are displaced to the right in Fig. l, the helical spring It causes a corresponding movement or displacement of the casing I3, and the movable jaw 4 is moved away from the stationary jaw 2. The spindles 8 and I0 and the casing i 3 together with the connected movable jaw consequently continue to maintain their mutual position during the rotation of the sleeve 5, a rotation of the spindle I0 and, consequently, also of the screw spindle 8 about the common axis being impossible owing to the longitudinal guiding of the movable jaw 4 and the engagement of the guiding screw 2| in the longitudinal groove II in the spindle It.

The distance of the movable jaw s from the stationary jaw 2 can consequently be adjusted by hand in such a manner that the work piece to be clamped can be isnerted between the two jaws with more or less clearance. If compressed air is then admitted into the casing I3 through the bore I9, it effects, with compression of the helical spring I6, the spindles 8 and IE! being stationary, a displacement of the casing I3 to the left in Fig. l or to the position shown in Fig. 2. This straight-line longitudinal movement, which is due to the engagement of the guiding screws 2| in the longitudinal groove I I, is transmitted to the movable jaw 4 which bears on the work piece with a clamping pressure that is de pendent upon the quantity of compressed air admitted into the casing I3. The distance to be traversed by the movable jaw in order to clamp a work piece can be fixed at the outset to a definite amount by means of the set screw I 8, this distance being dependent upon the distance of the jaw from the end of the spindle It. If the set screw I8 is screwed into contact with the spindle I0, only an operation of the movable jaw 4 by hand is possible. This possibility of adjusting the distance by means of the set screw I8 has,

especially in the clamping of a large number of like work pieces in succession in the same vise, the advantage that the presssing pressure is the same with all the work pieces and limits the quantity of compressed air admitted into the casing In order to remove the work piece from the vise, it is only necessary to operate the outlet valve connected with the bore I9 in the casing. To the extent to which the compressed air escapes from the casing I3, the spring Iii presses the casing I3 and, with it, the movable jaw 4 back to its initial position shown in Fig. 1.

In the embodiment represented, there are provided two spindles 8 and II) which are coupled together by a pin 9 and which can be replaced by one spindle made of a piece of metal and which has a screw-thread over a part of its length. Instead of using compressed air as the agent for moving the movable jaw, a pressure liquid may be employed. Also, the compression spring l6 employed for returning the movable jaw to its initial position for the purpose of releasing the clamped work piece could be dispensed with if, for example, the bore '20 is shifted to the opposite end of the casing and known controlling means are provided which render it possible to supply the pressure medium, i. e.," compressed air or pressure liquid, alternately to one end and the other of the casing, the pressure medium, which is no longer intended for performing work as regards the movement of the casing by means of the piston, being pushed out by the latter.

What I claim is:

l. A vise comprising a longitudinally displaceable jaw operable by fluid pressure, a casing connected to said jaw for unitary movement therewith and adapted for receiving and discharging pressure fluid, a piston in said casing, said pressure fluid reacting on said piston, for displacing said casing and thereby moving said jaw, a spindle on which said piston is mounted, a manually rotatable spindle sleeve operatively connected to said spindle to operate said jaw, said casing comprising a part detachably connected to said jaw and surrounding a part of said spindle, said part of said spindle having a longitudinal groove therein, and a guiding member carried by said casing part and engaging said longitudinal groove for the straight guiding of said casing during its displacement.

2. A vise comprising a longitudinally displaceable jaw operable by fluid pressure, a casing connected to said jaw for unitary movement therewith and adapted for receiving and discharging pressure fluid, a piston in said casing, said pressure fluid reacting on said piston for displacing said casing and thereby moving said jaw, a spindle on which said piston is mounted, a manually rotatable spindle sleeve operatively connected to said spindle to operate'said jaw, said casing comprising a part detachably connected to said jaw and surrounding a part of said spindle, said part of said spindle having a longitudinal groove therein, and a guiding member carried by said casing part and engaging said longitudinal groove for the straight guiding of said spindle on the manual operation of said spindle sleeve.

3. A vise comprising a longitudinally displaceable jaw operable by fluid pressure, a casing connected to said jaw for unitary movement therewith and adapted for receiving and discharging pressure fluid, a piston in said casing, said pressure fluid reacting on said piston for displacing said casing and thereby moving said jaw, a spindle on which said piston is mounted, a manually rotatable spindle sleeve operatively connected to said spindle to operate said jaw, an adjustable and flxable member arranged on said casing to co-operate with said spindle to fix the maximum distance to be traversed by said jaw under the action of said pressure fluid, said casing comprising a part detachably connected to said jaw and surrounding a part of said spindle, said part of said spindle having a longitudinal groove therein, and a guiding member carried by said casing part and engaging said longitudinal groove for the straight guiding of said casing during its displacement.

l. A vise comprising a longitudinally displaceable jaw operable by fluid pressure, a casing connected to said jaw for unitary movement therewith and adapted for receiving and discharging pressure fluid, a piston in said casing, said pressure fluid reacting on said piston for displacing said casing and thereby moving said jaw, a spindle on which said piston is mounted, a manually rotatable spindle sleeve operatively connected to said spindle to operate said jaw, an adjustable and flxable member arranged on said casing to co-operate with said spindle to flx the maximum distance to be traversed by said jaw under the action of said pressure fluid, said casing comprising a part detachably connected to said jaw and surrounding a part of said spindle, said part of said spindle having a longitudinal groove therein, and a guiding member carried by said casing part and engaging said longitudinal groove for the straight guiding of said spindle on the manual operation of said spindle sleeve.

5. A vise comprising a longitudinally displaceable jaw operable by fluid pressure, a casing connected to said jaw for unitary movement therewith and adapted for receiving and discharging pressure fluid, a piston in said casing, said pressure fluid reacting on said piston for displacing said casing and thereby moving said jaw, a spindle on which said piston is mounted, a manually ,r0tatable spindle sleeve operati'vely connected to said spindle to operate said jaw, a spring acting upon said piston and stressed on the displacement of said jaw to the operative position and effecting the return of said jaw to its inoperative position, said casing comprising a part detachably connected to said jaw and surrounding a part of said spindle, said part of said spindle having a longitudinal groove therein, and a guiding member carried by said casing part and engaging said longitudinal groove for the straight guiding of said casing during its displacement.

6. A vise comprising a longitudinally displaceable jaw operable by fluid pressure, a casing connected to said jaw for unitary movement therewith and adapted for receiving and discharging pressure fluid, a piston in said casing, said pressure fluid reacting on said piston for displacing said casing and thereby moving said jaw, a spindle on which said piston is mounted, a manually rotatable spindle sleeve operatively connected to said spindle to operate said jaw, a spring acting upon said piston and stressed on the displacement of said jaw to the operative position and effecting the return of said jaw to its inoperative position, said casing comprising a part detachably connected to said jaw and surrounding a part of said spindle, said part of said spindle having a longitudinal groove therein, and a guiding member carried by said casing part and engaging said longitudinal groove for the straight guiding of said spindle on the manual operation of said spindle sleeve.

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 65,097 Lewis May 28, 1867 1,436,860 Church Nov. 28, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 332,372 Germany Jan. 31, 1921 

